VALDOSTA —
Murder charges were filed Monday against a Lowndes County man in the strangling death of his wife.
William D. Pendleton, 51, is charged with murder in the death of his wife, Lynn Renee Pendleton, said Capt. Wanda Edwards of the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office.
Pendleton was transported to Lowndes County Jail Saturday evening after being arrested in Waycross that afternoon.
A motorist reportedly saw the suspect traveling west about 10 miles east of Waycross on U.S. 84 in his altered 1996 Chevy Camaro Saturday. Instead of the car being its original red with flames on the hood and front quarter panels, the Camaro had been spray-painted black.
Familiar with the search for Pendleton and his missing Camaro, the motorist followed the spray-painted car and called the law with the vehicle’s tag number. The license number matched Pendleton’s vehicle.
Ware County authorities picked up the trail of the spray-painted car and pulled it over, according to sources. Several Ware law-enforcement cars and one motorcycle unit reportedly responded to the scene.
Lowndes County Sheriff Chris Prine said the suspect had reportedly painted over the car’s flames in a motel parking lot.
The case began last week when the Pendletons’ adult children reported their mother missing. She had been missing for several days when the missing person’s report was filed on Wednesday, March 16.
William Pendleton and his Camaro had been missing since Wednesday when one of his grown children told him she planned to report Lynn Renee Pendleton missing, according to authorities. He reportedly said he would meet his daughter at the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, but he never arrived.
Late Thursday night, authorities searched the Pendletons’ 5662 Scruggs Circle residence. Outside, investigators reportedly discovered what appeared to be paving like a recently installed patio in the back yard, according to sources.
The body was reportedly discovered beneath the paving in a two-and-a-half-foot hole.
With help from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Scene Unit, the body was recovered from the ground at approximately 2 a.m. Friday. Authorities were not certain how long she had been buried at the site.
Preliminary autopsy reports listed her cause of death as strangulation, according to the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office.
On Friday, authorities issued a nationwide BOLO (be on the lookout) for William Pendleton and his Camaro.
Local News
Related Photos
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The residence, located in north Lowndes County on the corner of Skipper Bridge Road and Scruggs Circle, where Lynn Renee Pendleton's body was found. Paul Leavy
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William D. Pendleton
Discussion
Murder charges filed against man in strangling case
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